NATO air strike kills fighter linked to Afghan hotel attack

NATO aircraft killed an dissatisfied leader linked to a deadly hotel attack in the Afghan capital this week, the coalition said on Thursday, a raid that raise questions about whether Afghan forces are ready for the frightening security transition.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the harass on the Intercontinental, one of two major hotels used by foreigners and Afghan government officials, a unusual night-time raid that began on Tuesday and ended five hours later on with 12 killed.

The NATO-led Security Assistance Force(ISAF) said the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani system had also been involved in the physical attack by nine suicide bombers and gunmen.ISAF identified the Haqqani network leader kill in an air strike as Ismail Jan, who it describe as a deputy to the senior Haqqani leader in Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan.